Look at this list.
The first time they announced the sportsman of the year, he was a Brit in Track and Field.
Track and Field listed 8 times
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportsman_of_the_Year1954 United Kingdom Roger Bannister Track and field First sub-four-minute mile
1955 United States Johnny Podres Baseball World Series MVP
1956 United States Bobby Morrow Track and field Triple Olympic gold medalist
1957 United States Stan Musial Baseball National League batting champion
1958 United States Rafer Johnson Track and field Decathlon world record
1959 Sweden Ingemar Johansson Boxing World heavyweight champion
1960 United States Arnold Palmer Golf PGA Player of the Year
1961 United States Jerry Lucas College basketball Final Four MVP
1962 United States Terry Baker College football Heisman Trophy winner
1963 United States Pete Rozelle Professional football NFL expansion
1964 United States Ken Venturi Golf U.S. Open Champion
1965 United States Sandy Koufax Baseball Cy Young Award, Strikeout record
1966 United States Jim Ryun Track and field Mile world record
1967 United States Carl Yastrzemski Baseball Triple Crown winner
1968 United States Bill Russell Professional basketball NBA champion player-coach
1969 United States Tom Seaver Baseball Cy Young Award
1970 Canada Bobby Orr Hockey NHL MVP, Art Ross, Conn Smythe, Norris
1971 United States Lee Trevino Golf PGA Player of the Year
1972 United States Billie Jean King Tennis Three major titles
United States John Wooden College basketball NCAA champion coach
1973 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Auto racing Formula One World Champion
1974 United States Muhammad Ali Boxing World heavyweight champion
1975 United States Pete Rose Baseball World Series MVP
1976 United States Chris Evert Tennis Two major titles
1977 United States Steve Cauthen Horse racing Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey
1978 United States Jack Nicklaus Golf British Open champion
1979 United States Terry Bradshaw Professional football Super Bowl MVP
United States Willie Stargell Baseball World Series MVP
1980 United States U.S. Olympic Hockey Team Hockey Olympic gold medalists
1981 United States Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing World welterweight champion
1982 Canada Wayne Gretzky Hockey NHL MVP, Art Ross
1983 United States Mary Decker Track and field Double world champion
1984 United States Edwin Moses Track and field Olympic gold medalist
United States Mary Lou Retton Gymnastics Olympic gold medalist
1985 United States Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Professional basketball Playoff MVP
1986 United States Joe Paterno College football NCAA champion coach
1987 "Athletes Who Care"
Canada Bob Bourne Hockey Helped handicapped children's school
United States Judi Brown King Track and field Helped abused children
Kenya Kip Keino Track and field Cared for orphaned children
United States Dale Murphy Baseball Charity spokesman
United States Chip Rives College football Helped needy children
United States Patty Sheehan Golf Helped abused girls
United States Rory Sparrow Professional basketball Helped school children
United States Reggie Williams Professional football Helped high school students
1988 United States Orel Hershiser Baseball Cy Young Award, World Series MVP
1989 United States Greg LeMond Cycling Tour de France winner
1990 United States Joe Montana Professional football Three-time Super Bowl MVP
1991 United States Michael Jordan Professional basketball NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion
1992 United States Arthur Ashe Tennis Supported humanitarian causes
1993 United States Don Shula Professional football Winningest NFL coach
1994 United States Bonnie Blair Speed skating Double Olympic gold medalist
Norway Johann Olav Koss Speed skating Triple Olympic gold medalist
1995 United States Cal Ripken, Jr. Baseball Consecutive games record
1996 United States Tiger Woods Golf U.S. Amateur, NCAA champion
1997 United States Dean Smith College basketball Winningest college coach at the time of publication
1998 United States Mark McGwire Baseball Single-season home run record holder at the time of publication
Dominican Republic Sammy Sosa Baseball National League MVP
1999 United States U.S. Women's Soccer Team Soccer World Cup champions
2000 United States Tiger Woods Golf Three major championships
2001 United States Curt Schilling Baseball World Series Co-MVP
United States Randy Johnson Baseball World Series Co-MVP, Cy Young Award
2002 United States Lance Armstrong Cycling Four-time Tour de France winner
2003 United States David Robinson Professional basketball Two-time NBA champion
United States Tim Duncan Professional basketball NBA MVP, Playoff MVP
2004 United States Boston Red Sox Professional baseball team 2004 World Series champions
2005 United States Tom Brady Professional football Two-time Super Bowl MVP, Three-time Super Bowl champion
2006 United States Dwyane Wade Professional basketball NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP
2007 United States Brett Favre Professional football "for his perseverance and his passion"
2008 United States Michael Phelps Swimming Eight Gold Medals in 2008 Summer Olympics
2009 United States Derek Jeter Baseball Five-time World Series Champion
2010 United States Drew Brees Professional football Super Bowl MVP and charitable work toward the reconstruction of New Orleans
2011 United States Mike Krzyzewski College basketball coach Most wins in NCAA Division I history
United States Pat Summitt College basketball coach All-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball
2012 United States LeBron James Professional basketball NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist